Blue Spirit Begins
by SuperLardBucket
Summary: In an Alternate Universe, the war never began, Ozai is a nice person, and Zuko isn't related to Azula. Zuko should be happy, right? Wrong. Somethings will always be, and Zuko will always be hardcore. Rated T for cursing and extreme action.
1. Chapter 1

_Blue Spirit Begins._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. I don't own Batman. I don't own a working cell phone. I don't own a home. I sleep in someone else's during the day and eat their food and use their computer while they're asleep._

_Description: This is a Zuko-centric story loosely based off of the movie "Batman Begins" In an alternate universe, the war never happened, Ozai was a nice person, and Azula is not Zuko's sister. With all of this, Zuko must be a happy person, right? Wrong. Some things will always be. Aang will always be legendary. Zutarians will always be hormone crazed, teenage girls, and Zuko will always be one bad-ass son of a bitch._

_Prologue: A hero's fear_

'_Fear… Fear murdered my parents… In the darkest pits of the Earth, I found fear in its purest form, and thought I had conquered it… But fear followed me home…'_

'_It all began one night when I was 8. My parents and I were going to a festival in honor of the Avatar Aang, who had saved the entire world from a mad man named Long Feng, who had overthrown the Earth King and tried to conquer the world. On our way home, we tried to take a shortcut through a back alley. My father was one of the greatest firebenders in the world, if not the greatest. '_

'_But all the skill in the world doesn't mean anything if a guy with a knife catches you off guard…'_

'_And so, I sat in the Earth Kingdom police station, shaking, until my uncle Iroh came and brought me home to the Fire Nation, where I, an 8-year old boy, was expected to become the next Firelord. I wasn't ready… I was afraid…'_

'_I still remember the day that man was caught and brought to the Fire Nation for trial. I sat with the prosecutors, looking him in the eye as he testified to his innocence. I reached under my cloak and pretended to scratch my neck. I was actually fingering the dual swords I had stashed in case the trial turned sour.'_

'_The man was lucky. At least he thought he was. He got off with 5 years in jail; even though killing a member of the of the royal family is a crime punishable by lifetime imprisonment, he was still let off for being from the Earth Kingdom, as though that made him any less responsible for my parents' death. As he walked to his cart to carry him to jail, I forgot about the swords. The fire in my hands promised me that I wouldn't need them. Before I got my chance, though, a member of the crowd stepped out and stabbed the man with a dagger, forever denying me my revenge.'_

'_As I sat in the palanquin ride home with my childhood friend, Mai, she told me 'he didn't deserve that.' I looked at her in rage as I pulled out the swords I was hiding and said, 'Yes, he did…' I was met with a slap in the face, both figuratively and literally.'_

'_Mai opened the palanquin's curtains and showed me the slum we had passed through to get home. Mai normally wasn't one to show emotion of any kind, but now she was angry. 'This is what your parents fought to prevent! This kind of poverty caused by people like Xin Fu is what caused that man to stoop to thievery! He was the kind of man your parents tried to help, and you wanted to kill him!? If you had done that, all you would've accomplished was blackening your father's reputation!' Xin Fu was an earth bender who had come to the Fire Nation with his band of goons to start up a criminal organization. He was one of the most powerful crime bosses in the Fire Nation, and all he had done was sink half of my nation into poverty and caused hundreds of people to resort to crime. As much as I hated to admit it, Mai was right.'_

'_The following night, I marched up to Xin Fu and told him, "One day, I'm going to take you down…" He pulled me in close and said, "You can't touch me rich boy. I have every cop in the city in my pocket. If you try to kill me, there are 20 guys in here who will shoot you without a second thought. Then we can bury you with mommy and daddy." I clenched my fists in anger, but, knowing he was right, I walked away.'_

'_A few years later, Mai left the Fire Nation. Her father had been made the head of the Fire Nation embassy in Omashu. She kissed me on the cheek when she left and smiled at me. I smiled back at her, but it was an empty smile. Inside, I was dead, empty. I know people usually feel better about losing loved ones, but I didn't. I never got the confrontation I needed. I never got to look that man in the eye and show him what he took away from me. I never got closure. Every day, I would just stare at the painting I had taken with my family. The pain I felt inside was too much to bear. I felt like I was losing everyone in my life. The only person left was Uncle Iroh, and even he wasn't able to help me get over the pain of losing my parents.'_

'_In the end, it was too much to bear. I left the Fire Nation. I knew it would be in capable hands with my Uncle Iroh anyway. I went to the Earth Kingdom and blended in, in Ba Sing Se, and ultimately ended up getting arrested and sent to an Earth Kingdom jail. I went there to lose myself, but ultimately, I found myself. I found what I would become: The Blue Spirit.'_

_Well, that was the prologue. Next comes the actual story, this is just a little side project to "Avatar: The Last Ninja." It shouldn't be that long. Maybe 9 or ten chapters. It might end up being longer though. Yes, it will be Maiko. I'll try to work in as many characters as I can, but Aang won't be making an appearance. I'm saving him for the sequel. I have to hold off on one other character, but I can't decide who. I'm leaning towards Haru though._


	2. Chapter 2

_A Hero's Training_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. Mike and Brian do though. Lucky dogs…_

The Bell rang. Knowing what that meant, Zuko stood up and walked out off his cell. It was time to go out in the prison courtyard. It was time for another fight.

Zuko didn't feel empty anymore. Now, he just felt rage. It was a rage unlike any you've ever felt in your life. He wasn't just angry or upset; his heart was filled with destruction and pain, and there was only one way to keep those horrible feelings from destroying him from the inside: unleash them all on one soul unlucky enough to get on his bad side.

That wasn't too hard in this prison. Everyday, someone tried to kill Zuko, or Lee, as he was known here, and everyday that same someone was smacked to the ground faster than a bolt of lightning. Zuko didn't even need his fire bending to beat these weaklings to a pulp.

Sure enough, today was no exception. A large man with metal covering his right arm and left legs, as well as a tattoo of a third eye on his forehead, walked right up to Zuko and picked a fight with him. Zuko just side-stepped his punch before jabbing the man in his gut and dropping an axe kick into his head, pounding him into the dirt. Zuko spent a full five minutes on top of the man, beating his semi-unconscious body, before the guards yanked him off and threw him into solitary confinement.

Zuko hated solitary confinement. The padded walls didn't give him the same satisfaction that came with the screaming of some thug when he was punching them. He needed something to vent his anger on; something to help him forget the pain for a few minutes.

Suddenly, the door opened. A young girl walked into the solitary confinement chambers with him. She was tall and cast an aura of authority and power. She had long dark hair and brilliant, golden eyes. "Hello, Lee…" she began, "Or should I say, hello Prince Zuko…"

"Who are you!?" Zuko screamed angrily. "My name is Jin… I've come here with a proposal." "Not interested…" "Just hear me out… I've come here representing a secret society that would have you as a member… Would you like to avenge your parents' death…?"

Zuko looked at her with more anger than he'd ever felt before, but something stopped him from attacking her, though he wasn't sure what. "Get out…" "Oh very well, Zuzu…" '_Zuzu!?' _he thought to himself. "But, if you change your mind, climb to the top of the mountain South of Omashu, where the cave of two lovers is, and tell the man at the door in the building there that you seek the means to fight injustice…"

After that, she left. '_What a load of crap…' _Zuko thought to himself. '_Seek the means to fight injustice…'_ Zuko reached into his pocket and pulled out his most precious belonging: a painting of his parents, folded to fit in his shirt. As he stroked the face of his mother, he felt a hot tear run down his face. As he wiped it away, he suddenly became filled with determination. He knew what he had to do.

The next morning, the guards came to release Zuko from solitary confinement. They were shocked to find, however, that he was not there. If you had told them that he had escaped in the middle of the night to climb a mountain so he could join a secret society and avenge his parents' death, they probably would've thrown you in solitary confinement; that was where he was, however: climbing a mountain.

It was one of the most intense experiences in Zuko's life. Every muscle in his body was screaming at him to stop. Every fiber of his skin cried out in pain from the cold. _'Stupid girl… had to tell me to climb the mountain in one of the coldest winters ever…'_ Zuko wished he could fire bend, but with so little space to move around in, the intricate movements were likely to throw him off the mountain.

The hall of the building at the top of the mountain was a grand sight to be sure. It was intricately decorated with golden embroidery and marvelous, jade dragon-statues. The hallway was eerily calm as well. The only sounds made, in fact, were the occasional clacking of Pai Sho tiles. Jin watched as the two old men played their games, waiting patiently for the visit she was expecting. Sure enough, the silence was soon broken by a loud knock on the door. The man standing by it opened the door, allowing a cold, shivering teenager to come in and say, "I seek the means… to fight injustice…" Jin smiled with delight, "Prince Zuko… welcome… to the Order of the White Lotus…"

Zuko walked, carrying his usual stride of pride and anger, as Jin explained, "These will be your quarters during your stay here. Your training will begin tomorrow at dawn. Once it is completed, then, and only then, will you meet with our leader: Princess Azula…" _'Princess of what…?' _he thought to himself as he closed the door. "Sleep tight, Zuzu…" Jin cooed as Zuko closed his door. He could tell that nickname was going to get old fast.

The next morning, when Zuko woke up, he found a martial arts uniform waiting for him, along with a pair of dual swords. Zuko winced at this. It reminded him of an experience he didn't particularly care to relive.

_'It was years ago, back when my parents were alive. I was playing with Mai and I fell down a well. I looked up to see her cry out to me, 'Don't worry! I'm going to go get your dad!' As she ran off, I looked to see that at the bottom of the well was actually the end of a long tunnel. What I didn't know… was that that tunnel acts as a portal to the spirit world. Running towards me was a giant Blue Spirit. His tongue whipped around his face in hunger as he ran at me, swinging swords around in his massive hands. Just as he was about to reach me, my father jumped down the well, and shot a blast of lightning at him, scaring him off. I've been afraid of the spirits ever since…'_

"Morning Zuzu," Jin greeted as Zuko walked down to meet her. "Please stop calling me that…" he asked calmly, bottling up the rage inside. "Oh, very well… Your training will begin after breakfast. Eat up."

Breakfast wasn't much, but Zuko was used to worse. Afterwards, they left the Palace of the White Lotus for Zuko's training. Zuko was sure whatever he had to do wouldn't be **too **intense.

5 minutes after thinking this, Zuko found himself swinging those swords left and right, trying desperately to defend himself against Jin's flurry of expert attacks. He, meanwhile, was clumsily swinging his swords like a five-year old in a vain attempt to strike her. "No!" she screamed, "Think of your swords as a single weapon: two halves of the same being!"

Zuko was used to fighting with his hands, he didn't know about all this fancy stuff with the dual blades. As Jin thrust at him, he saw an opening and thrust a side kick into her chest, knocking her to the ground. He blatantly stuck his swords an inch away from her face. "Very good," she commented, "However, in exchange for a killing blow, you've sacrificed your footing!!" At this, she swept his legs out from under him and was on top of him in a manner of seconds.

"Calm yourself Prince Zuko. I've seen you temper your fists; I know you understand violence, but anger, alone, will not win your battles. You need to keep a level-head." Jin instructed. Zuko sighed at this. How could this woman expect him to calm down? She couldn't understand the pain he felt. She couldn't understand the losses he'd suffered.

Zuko's training continued as such for many weeks. Eventually, he mastered the swords and moved onto other things. "In order to master your fears, you must face them…" Jin explained, as she handed him an incense plate. The smoke was from a fire burning on leaves from the White Jade bush: a poisonous plant that causes a rash that, once it has spread to the throat, causes suffocation and death. When smoked, however, it is a powerful hallucinogen that causes the smoker to witness their greatest fear.

Zuko inhaled the smoke deeply, not sure what his greatest fear was. What he saw was none other than the Blue Spirit from his childhood coming towards him with its deadly swords, ready to cut him in two. Zuko watched in horror as the apparition "devoured" him. Once in the belly of the beast, he was forced to relive the night his parents were killed, over and over and over…

_'It's not real…' _he screamed in his head, '_IT'S NOT REAL!!' _ Zuko opened his eyes, panting and sweating heavily, to see that the illusion had dissipated, giving way to reality once more. He heard applause and turned to see Jin clapping for him. "Very good… most people just go crazy and try to kill everyone in the room.

2 months later, Zuko was preparing for his final test. He wasn't sure what it was going to be, as he walked into the training hall. Once inside, he saw hundreds of warriors, dressed in exactly identical armor. No one stood out in the least. One walked up to greet him. "Hello Zuko," she said, revealing herself to be Jin. "This is your final test. I will stand, hiding amongst these warriors. Your task is to defeat me. I will be the only one attacking you. However, if you attack a warrior besides me, he or she will join in the fight." Zuko nodded. "Let's get this over with…"

All at once, the warriors began running around in circles, before finally settling into even rows. Zuko walked through the rows slowly, trying to see some sign of who might be Jin. Try as he might, there was not one difference between any of them. Suddenly, Zuko saw movement. He drew his swords just in time to block Jin's attack.

Jin tried to stab at Zuko again, but he parried and thrust his sword at her head. She side-stepped it and tried to slash at his torso, but he jumped out of the way and shot a fire blast at her. She acrobatically flipped to safety, before the warriors regrouped once more. _'Great… Looks like the only way to do this is to let myself be ambushed over and over until I can get a lucky shot…'_

And so the pattern continued, without much luck on Zuko's part. Try as he may, he could not seem to take down Jin. Suddenly, he realized that his goal was merely to defeat Jin. Attacking the other warriors was not un-allowed, just there to make it harder. There were ways around that added difficulty though.

Zuko quickly leapt in the air, landing in the very center of the warriors. Using all of his Fire-bending prowess, he shot waves of flames in all directions: effectively taking out every single warrior and, to that effect, Jin.

As Jin got up, she let out a soft grunt, but it was enough to let Zuko know it was her. No sooner was she on her feet than was she on the ground again with Zuko's sword in her case. She tried to sweep his legs out from under him, but he expertly leapt in the air, avoiding her attack and plummeting right back down to her face. "Very good, Prince Zuko. Get a good night's sleep… Tomorrow… You meet with Azula." Zuko sheathed his sword and began walking to his room. It was almost over.

_Wow. That took a while, but I'd say it was worth it, wouldn't you? Next time is "A hero's birth" See you then, and God Bless you all. Remember, the more reviews I get, the more motivated I feel, and the sooner I update._


	3. Chapter 3

**A Hero's preparation**

It was very late in the day when the sunlight finally shone in through the window, creeping ever so slowly across the floor. It stealthily made its way over to the bed in the middle of the room before finally glaring in the eyes of its occupant. Zuko grunted and pulled the covers over his eyes, hoping to grab a few more hours of sleep. His hopes were dashed however, when seconds later, he found the covers being pulled off of his face rather quickly by Jin, who was shouting at him, "Rise and Shine!"

Zuko shooed her out of his room quickly and began to take off his pajamas and put on his armor. As Zuko dressed, he couldn't help having an ominous feeling about the day ahead. Today was the day he was inducted as a full member of the Order of the White Lotus, something he had decided to pursue on a whim. He wasn't even sure what the Order's true goals were beyond, "Maintaining the balance of the 4 Nations", a job he thought was meant for the Avatar. Still, Zuko never backed down from anything before and didn't intend to now. He slung his swords across his back and began walking to Azula's throne room.

Upon entering Azula's throne room, the first thing he noticed, beyond the jars of blasting jelly, was Azula herself. She was a very beautiful young woman with delicate features. She had long brown hair which hung down in her face, but pushed out of her eyes, with the back drawn into a long ponytail. The next thing he noticed was that there was a man cowering and praying in a cage hung from the ceiling

"Prince Zuko," she said seductively, "Welcome to your initiation." Zuko just stared at her intently, awaiting his next task. "Ooh, the strong silent type? Very well, I'll just get on with it. The man in the cage is a murderer and a thief. He must feel Justice. Take your swords and do the deed."

Zuko turned and looked at the man, ready to end his pathetic life, but something stopped him. Just as he was about to draw his swords, Zuko looked into the man's eyes and saw the fear… and the regret. The man was truly sorrowful for his crimes, anyone could see that. Sheathing his swords, Zuko turned to Azula and said, "No… I'm no executioner."

"You must have the will to act, if you are to lead these men into the Fire Nation…" "The Fire Nation!?" Zuko exclaimed in disbelief. "Yes…" Jin stated calmly. "Whenever a town, city, or nation becomes too corrupt or evil or warlike, we enter it and destroy it from the inside, forcing it to start from scratch. As its prince, you are ideally placed to strike at the heart of the Fire Nation."

As Zuko stood there, taking all of this in, he was filled with thoughts of home. '_Mom and Dad… Uncle Iroh… Mai…' _"You can't believe in this…" he said slowly to himself, picking up a torch on a nearby wall. "Zuko! What are you doing!?" Jin whispered angrily to him. "What needs to be done…" Zuko stated matter-of-factly, shortly before tossing the torch into the barrels of blasting jelly.

"YOU ARE A FOOL ZUKO!!" Azula shouted. "You… will… die…" Zuko took a defensive stance and coolly commanded, "Try it…" Azula launched at him instantly with a flying spin-hook kick. Zuko countered by blocking, grabbing her leg, and throwing her into a wall. Azula stomped her foot on the ground, producing a boulder, and crescent kicked said boulder into Zuko's chest. Taken aback by the force, Zuko slowly got up from the ground just in time to jump out of the way of yet another boulder.

Feeling the pressure, Zuko resorted to his own bending and shot a fire wave at her with an axe kick. Azula side stepped it and attacked Zuko with a rock-a-lanche. Zuko somersaulted out of the way and side kicked a flame at her. Azula raised both hands and created an earth shield to protect herself from the blast. However, the shield prevented her from seeing Zuko rush in, and as soon as she dropped the shield to attack again, he was right there holding a fireball in his hands. He slammed his fist into her chest and produced a massive flame, taking her out.

Zuko freed the prisoner and began making his way out of the complex. It wouldn't be long before the blasting jelly destroyed the entire building. On his way out, however, he saw something that made him stop: Jin, or rather, Jin's unconscious body. Filled with mercy, Zuko picked her up and sat her on his shoulder. Just then, a wave of fire burst through the wall towards Zuko. He tried desperately to Fire-bend the flames away from him, but the force of the impact still managed to knock him out of the building, sending him tumbling down the mountain.

Zuko was rolling down the hill towards a very long, very sharp drop and was having little luck in slowing himself or Jin down. Grabbing at the snow, he was just barely able to stop in time to see Jin fall over the edge. At the very last second, he was able to grab her ankle and pull her to safety.

When the adrenaline rush wore off, Zuko noticed that the left half of his face was in considerable pain. He brought his hand up to touch it, but immediately retracted it in extreme pain. _'The Fire must have burnt me…' _ He picked up some snow and plopped it on his face, cooling the burn. Once the pain had subsided somewhat, he felt the burn again and noticed his flesh had been seered. ' He picked up some snow and plopped it on his face, cooling the burn. Once the pain had subsided somewhat, he felt the burn again and noticed his flesh had been seared. '_Yeah… that's going to be a scar… Perfect…'_

After carrying Jin to a nearby hospital, Zuko walked to the nearest dock. After reflecting on a conversation he had had with Jin, he knew what he had to do. _'Zuko, do you know what it is about the Order of the White Lotus that makes its members so strong?' 'I'd imagine it's all the training…' 'The training is part of it, but there's more. You see, members of the Order are no longer men and women. They're symbols. As men and women, we can be destroyed. As symbols, we live forever, even after death.'_

Zuko knew what he had to do. He was going to rid the Fire Nation of Crime and evil, but not like the White Lotus. He was going to make the criminals run in fear. He was going to make them hide, make them too afraid to ever hurt anyone; too afraid to do 

to someone else what they did to him and his family. He couldn't do it alone though. He would need help. Luckily, he knew who could and would help him and, thanks to a messenger hawk, the first person he would need was waiting for him when he got off of his boat and back onto Fire Nation soil. He smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time as he drew the pudgy man into a hug. "Uncle, it's so good to see you again."

"I must be completely honest with you Prince Zuko. I don't think this plan can work." Zuko sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Uncle, understand where I'm coming from. I want to make a difference. I want to make sure men like Xin Fu know that there are people not afraid of them." "And how do you intend to do that Prince Zuko? Why don't you make a difference the way your father did!? By improving people's lives! Not by going on a quest for thrills and revenge!!" "This isn't about thrills or revenge Uncle! This is about improving people's lives. There will always be people to make life better for others through schools and hospitals. I'm the only one who can make a difference this way." "Very Well, but how do you intend to start?" "I have a few ideas…"

Iroh's breath was taken away from him when he saw what Zuko had in mind. In just a week, Zuko had converted the entire underground bunker used by the Fire Lord in case of emergency into a crime-fighting lair. It had everything from weapons to armor. "Prince Zuko? Where did you get these things?" Zuko smiled as he explained.

_'It was a week ago when I went to the Fire Nation's research and development lab. I met with a man there known solely as 'The Mechanist'. "Well, well, if it isn't the prodigal prince of the Fire Nation. What are you doing in my little shack?" he asked me cheerfully." I need a few tools… for… Spelunking…" I replied. "Spelunking?" he asked me quizzically. "Yes… I need a parachute… a lot of throwing knives… dual swords… and heavy, yet flexible, battle-armor…" I replied, hoping the Mechanist didn't know much about spelunking. "What kind of spelunking are you doing!?" he asked incredulously. 'Damn…' "Uh…" I stuttered, "It's uh… i-it's very hardcore competitive spelunking…" "Right… Firelord Zuko, I know I may be way down on the corporate ladder, but don't take me for a fool…" he stated indignantly. "Right…" I thought to myself, 'Time for an explanation…'_

"Why a spirit?" Iroh asked, confused at his nephew's choice in costume. "Because I've always feared the spirits… It's time the criminals shared my fear." "Why a costume at all? People won't find it too odd if the Firelord takes an active approach in his national security…" "I wear a costume because I am a man as the Firelord. I can be pushed around, I can be ignored, and I can be knocked down. As symbol, I can be indestructible; I can be incorruptible, everlasting…"

Zuko had completed all his preparations, save one: a ride. He couldn't very well do what he was planning in a palanquin. It was time for one more trip to the mechanist. "Do you have a fast animal?" he asked. "What for, may I ask?" "…Racing…" Zuko answered coyly. "Racing… Very well… I did just get done with this.

"It's a one man vehicle, propelled not by burning coal, but by burning gasoline… I call it: An Automobile…" the mechanist shouted as Zuko gave his new ride a test-cruise. "It can go anywhere from 10 to 120 miles per hour and can go 40 miles for every gallon of gas inside. It's also made from a steal alloy to protect from crashes and attacks from enemies!" The mechanist was jolted forward as Zuko suddenly stopped the car. "So, what do you think?" the mechanist asked.

Zuko smiled, assured that this automobile would be perfect. It gave him the one thing he still needed to carry out his plans, which began with a very big project. He was going to take down Xin Fu. There was just one thing left to do. He turned to the mechanist and said, "Does it come in blue?"

_Wooh! That was fun stuff. And, due to popular demand, "Avatar: the Last Ninja" shall resume writing. I will begin working on it on the next chapter on Friday, and it's going to better than ever, with more cursing, more violence, more of Jake being an asshole, and more of me changing the plot Mike and Brian worked so hard to create to the point where they would just cry if they read the story! Until next time, take care, and God bless._


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